Malvern Hills Bat Box Scheme and Habitat Creation.

Bat Survey Derbyshire

Udall-Martin Associates have been granted permission to create a new Malvern Hills bat box scheme in ancient oak woodland that forms part of an organically managed farm on the side of the Malvern Hills. Various types of bat box will be installed over the coming weeks and months to provide bats with the opportunity to take up residence. Once installed the bat boxes will be checked at least twice a year, once in early spring and again after the breeding season has finished. The bat boxes will monitored for level of usage with the aim to encourage as many species as possible. We have carried out a number of bat surveys on and close to the Malvern Hills, Worcestershire with common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, brown long-eared, barbastelle, noctule, Leislers, serotine, myotis and lesser horseshoe bats all detected. Bat activity monitoring within the woodland area via the use of remote Anabat express bat detectors being deployed within the woodland during the main active season for bats (May-September) will also be carried out.

Udall-Martin Associates have an existing 100 strong bat box scheme at Donington Park Racecourse on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire border,  which has been monitored for the past three years with common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle,  noctule and Leisler’s bats recorded using the boxes. This scheme is to have a further ten boxes including some large hibernation tubs added to it in the near future. A series of bat surveys at this site also revealed a maternity roost of Daubenton’s bat on site. We have also converted a disused lime kiln in Herefordshire into a potential hibernation site for bats. Further works to the former kiln during 2015 will take place with bat boxes, bat bricks and old clay pipes being installed to further provide bats with the chance to hibernate over the winter months.

Other projects will involve the creation of wildlife ponds within local farmland to link into the existing local network of ponds to help bolster the local great crested newt and other amphibian populations. Hazel dormice monitoring is also to be carried out with dormice tubes being deployed along existing hedgerows on field boundaries to ascertain if the local area supports a population, with the installation of dormice boxes and the creation of a more species-rich hedgerows and a dormouse friendly understorey within the ancient woodland also considered.

The woodland area will also see the installation of bird and barn owl boxes which will be monitored and maintained along with the bat boxes. A reptile survey of the larger area of farmland is also being considered with adder, grass snake, slow-worm and common lizard all known to have populations in the local area.

Udall-Martin Associates work throughout England and Wales conducting a range of ecology surveys including bat surveys (bat scoping surveys, emergence/dawn re-entry surveys, bat activity/transect surveys) for a wide variety of clients ranging from individual home owners to proposed large-scale housing developments. We are happy to provide you with a quotation for all your bat survey needs.

We offer a quality service at competitive rates. Please feel free to contact us regarding any project, large or small, and we will be happy to provide a quotation or advice. Call us now on: 01684 540695.